North Carolina RFPs: The Ultimate Guide to North Carolina Bids

There are plenty of obscure and random facts about the Tar Heel State. But one not-so-obscure fact is this: North Carolina is also home to a fantastic RFP scene. With North Carolina RFPs, businesses have found a steady footing in the state’s top industries, including information technology, agriculture, manufacturing, financial services, and healthcare. If your organization resides in North Carolina, you may very well be working in one of these sectors. Let’s learn a little more about how North Carolina RFPs can get you new business.

North Carolina Requests for Proposals: What They Are

Well, let’s say that you work in the healthcare industry, and your organization has just developed a state-of-the-art MRI machine way more advanced than what is currently on the market. You could go to hospitals and try to sell the machine directly. However, you might find that the hospitals already have MRI machines, are perfectly happy with them, and they don’t have a budget to replace them. So how do you get your machines out in the market?

They might seem obscure to you if you are unaware of them, but North Carolina RFPs are out there by the droves. Instead of knocking on hospital doors, you need to wait for hospitals to come to you. How do they do this? Through RFPs of course! RFP stands for Request for Proposals. You simply have to wait for a hospital that is ready to purchase new MRI machines. How do they let companies know that they are ready to purchase new MRI machines? You got it; through RFPs. 

North Carolina’s Top Industries

If your organization is located in North Carolina, you very well might be responding to North Carolina RFPs in one of its top industries. Some of these industries include:

• Aerospace and Defense: North Carolina is home to major aerospace and defense companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Honeywell. Large companies like these typically issue RFPs for contracts. To bid on federal Aerospace and Defense contracts, you will have to meet various requirements. You will have to register with the System for Award Management (SAM). comply with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, comply with the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, follow Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), follow Facility Security Clearance (FCL), adhere to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and comply with Export Control Compliance (EAR). You might not need to comply with all of these standards as they are service-specific, so do your research on which requirements apply to your industry.
• Agriculture: North Carolina is one of the largest agricultural producers in the U.S. The state leads in tobacco, sweet potatoes, poultry, hogs, and Christmas trees. Depending on the specific agricultural services you offer you might need to meet certain requirements. Examples include a Pesticide Application Certification, Organic Certification, Livestock and Poultry Certifications, Dairy Licensing, and more.

What is Needed to Bid on North Carolina RFPs?

Potential respondents need to register with NC E-Procurement, the state’s online purchasing system. Here, organizations can respond to state RFPs. Proposals must be submitted electronically through the NC E-Procurement system or other designated systems. Give yourself plenty of time to submit, as late submissions may not be considered!

Locating North Carolina Opportunities

While there are a lot of obscure facts about North Carolina, there is nothing obscure about the resources in place for you to find North Carolina RFPs to respond to.

North Carolina RFPs and bids can be found in counties across the state, including in their own portals (great examples include Wake County RFPs and Mecklenburg County RFPs portals. This is also the case for cities such as Charlotte Procurement Portal and Raleigh Procurement Portal.

Larger industries can have their own procurement sites. For example, if you are looking to do business with institutions of higher learning, you can look at portals like UNC System Procurement. Even the North Carolina Department of Transportation has their own site over at NCDOT Bid Opportunities.

However, the official government procurement portal for the state is the North Carolina IPS. If you want to land a government contract, this is the perfect place to start searching.

Finally, there are sites like our very own Bid Banana, where you can find a mix of both private and public sector RFPs very easily. At Bid Banana, you can filter and favorite your searches to fit your company’s needs. Bid Banana is also a great way to compare and contrast similar projects within your industry. Finding North Carolina RFPs could never be easier!

Bidding in North Carolina: What To Know

When bidding on North Carolina RFPs, organizations must comply with all North Carolina state laws, including:

• Labor laws outlined by the North Carolina Department of Labor
• Environmental regulations from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ).
• North Carolina Department of Revenue Tax laws.

North Carolina supports Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs), Women-Owned Business Enterprises (WBEs), and HUB-certified firms. When bidding in North Carolina, vendors can either be certified in one of the above categories or show a good-faith effort to subcontract to such businesses. This can potentially give you a competitive edge when bidding.

Learning More About North Carolina RFPs and Bids

Read up on how to create RFP response templates in our Learning Center. Or, if you’re looking to find the perfect RFP in the state of North Carolina, check out Bid Banana, our user-friendly RFP database. The Bid Banana Blog can help you find bids in all 50 states (including this one!). So, reach out to schedule a free consultation with us today by calling 1-844-4BIDLAB or emailing respond@thebidlab.com.